Freshwater Aquarium History And You

Keeping fish in pond enclosures (precursor to today's aquariums) seemed to have coincided with the dawning of human civilization itself as far back as around 5000 B.C in Sumer, Mesopotamia. Ostensibly, these ancient fish cultures served more as a ready food source and only secondarily for entertainment. Freshwater aquarium history could have begun right there near the banks of the twin freshwater rivers of Euphrates and the Tigris.The many ancient drawings, carvings and pictures of aquariums from places in antiquity like Eqypt and Sumeria show us that these past peoples knew the beauty of the tanks and they also desired to maintain that beauty and pass on the secrets of these creatures.

The ancient Romans were also known to have traded live fish as commodities in their agoras (markets).

Goldfish and Koifish

In another part of the world, the art of selective breeding began in China around 2,000 years ago. They had been known to produce the now-famous goldfish developed from the regular carp. By the 18th century, goldfish as an ornamental fish was common in Europe and later became popular in America.

Cultured live koi — that familiar fish with the red, white and black colorations — was already a commercial item in the old trade routes that spanned China, Japan and Europe around the 16th century. Later, its reputation also grew and became very popular. Much later, it was also exported to Europe and America.

Crude Beginnings

In the early 19th century, aquarium-keeping began. England, Germany and France all vied to top themselves in mounting exhibits of public aquariums. It did not get a good reception as many were appaulled by it.

At that time, there was very poor understanding yet on the various roles of water chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, filtration and aeration. The size of the tanks was also limited by the holding power of the construction materials then.

The First Aquarium

In 1850, a Mr. Harrington declared through a paper he wrote for the Chemical Society of London that he had successfully maintained a stable aquarium. Fish-keeping suddenly became a popular hobby.

Three years after, many Zoo's and farms began to open the first public aquariums one after another whenthey noticed a good turnout. Soon, public aquaria were all over the major European cities patronized by eager but intrigued visitors.

Household Items

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